FRANCHISE ANALYZER

Togo’s first appeared on the campus of San Jose State University, where student and young entrepreneur Mike Cobler opened it as an answer to boring cafeteria food. Demand was so high for the fresh sandwiches he served that Cobler soon had to open a second store. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Togo’s franchise locations number over 250.

Touching Hearts at Home was founded in 1996 in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota to provide non-medical care services to the elderly and to others in need. The company’s founder is Renae Olafson, who modeled Touching Hearts after the compassionate care provided by her own mother. Olafson took her home care business to the next level in 2007, entering it into the realm of franchise sales and Touching Hearts has since become a favorite home-care franchise opportunity.

Transworld helps aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to run their businesses more efficiently and more successfully. In addition to its advising services, the company operates as a brokerage for businesses. Transworld is the result of an arrangement between United Franchise Group and Transworld Business Brokerages. Merging these two interrelated services has proved to be a lucrative move for the group and in a few short years Transworld has grown to include nearly 50 franchised units.

The largest network of travel agencies in North America, the Travel Leaders group includes more than 1,200 separate units providing travel brokering services to clients in the United States. With such a vast network of providers, Travel Leaders franchises are able to give customers customized travel packages at discounted rates.

The first Travelodge opened in 1940, just the next venture of already successful hotel entrepreneur Scott King. King owned and operated several popular hotels in Southern California. Travelodge continues to practice King’s concept of bringing people as close to family adventure destinations as possible. The franchise now operates as part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, along with other hotel chains like Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, and Microtel.

Tuffy started in 1970, when founder Charles Amy opened a Tuffy Muffler shop. He started franchising his concept in 1971 and soon made a wider variety of services available to customers, including transmission, brake, and tire repair. Now based in Toledo, Ohio, the Tuffy Associates group of service centers includes nearly 400 franchises in the United States.

Tutor Doctor provides in-home educational remediation for school-age children. Families are able to set appointments with tutors, who work one-on-one with kids in their home to help with test preparation, performance improvement, and more. Started in 2001, the company franchised two years later and now there are over 250 independently owned Tutor Doctor locations.

Tutoring Club provides remediation, instruction, and tutoring for kids from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Tutoring Club coaches help kids to catch up in any or all subjects, with test preparation, memorization, and college application preparation. The company began in 1991 and matured into a successful group of locations that franchised in 1999. There are more than 130 Tutoring Club centers currently open and operational.

A pair of high school students in Lansing, Michigan are at the heart of this successful moving company. After leaving for college, the boys’ mother found that the demand for her sons’ homegrown moving business was still there as she continued to receive requests for their services. This mother, Mary Ellen Sheets, founded Two Men and a Truck. There are now 200 franchises in the Two Men and a Truck family.

U.S. Lawns, which is currently owned by Environmental Care Inc. was founded in 1986 and franchised the next year. The Orlando, Florida-based company provides landscaping solutions, yard care, and maintenance to professional clients throughout the United States. The U.S. Lawns family of franchises includes more than 200 locations.

Unishippers Global Logistics was started in 1987 and has since grown to include nearly 300 locations in the United States. The company provides packing and shipping services for customers. Through its partnerships with major package carriers like UPS and Saia, Unishippers is able to provide a variety of shipping options.

Philadelphia-based United Check Cashing was first opened in 1971 and has seen years of continued success in the non-bank financial services market. The name was opened up to franchising in 1991, and has since spread rapidly, reaching over 120 operational units so far. Locations provide check cashing, wire transfers, and other services.

United States Seamless provides siding and gutter sales, repair, and replacement for commercial and residential clients. The company specializes in customization of styles and colors to best fit the client’s needs in regard to function, style, and aesthetics. First founded in 1991 and franchised in 1992, United States Seamless now includes 100 independent units.

As their name indicates, USA Insulation is an insulation installation company in the United States. First established in 1977, the company currently consists of more than twenty separate firms, each offering sales and installation of insulation for homeowners to help them maximize the comfort and efficiency of their home.

Founded in 1968 by Terry Loebal, ValPak Direct Marketing Systems distributes mailer packets filled with coupons for area businesses. The company also provides a similar service via a coupon website. ValPak works through more than 150 independent franchises that sell advertising space to local businesses, helping them to gain exposure within their market.

Jack DeBoer, a hotel industry magnate, founded Value Place in 2003. He opened the first location in Wichita, Kansas. The Value Place concept includes providing longer-term lodging with comfortable apartment-style suites and offering amenities like full kitchens and on-site laundry facilities. Today, 175 Value Place extended-stay hotels are open in the U.S.

Vanguard Cleaning Systems was formed and franchised in 1984 with a customer service oriented approach. The company is based in San Mateo, California and provides training for franchisees. There are more than 2,000 Vanguard Cleaning Systems in operation across the United States and Canada today, serving a wide array of professional clients.

Villa Enterprises is collection of successful food service brands that now includes 10 separate restaurant names. There are 300 locations under the Villa company throughout the United States and in six countries. The concept originated from a pizza parlor started in New York back in 1964, and has built its success on customer satisfaction through fresh ingredients and consistent service.

Jeffrey Johnson started Visiting Angels in 1992 in Baltimore, Maryland. He had previously worked in a nursing home as their Director of Social Work and saw firsthand the need for at-home care and service providers for seniors. In 1998, Johnson teamed up with three colleagues and pushed the Visiting Angels company to the next level, organizing a national franchising plan. Today, there are well over than 400 Visiting Angels franchises.

The first VooDoo location was opened up right in New Orleans in 2002. Using a dry-rub, slow-cook technique, VooDoo created a signature taste that perfectly represented the New Orleans flavor. Four years after opening, the VooDoo name franchised and has just begun to spread its wings into the broader market.